US Treasury sanctions two China-based shipping companies over claims they helped North Korea evade international sanctions
- Treasury Department identified the firms as Dalian Haibo International Freight Co and Liaoning Danxing International Forwarding Co
The United States on Thursday sanctioned two China-based shipping companies it says helped North Korea evade US and international sanctions over its nuclear weapons programme, the first such steps since US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s summit meeting collapsed last month.
The US Treasury also issued an updated advisory that listed 67 vessels that have engaged in illicit transfers of refined petroleum with North Korean tankers or were believed to have exported North Korean coal.
The Treasury Department identified the newly sanctioned firms as Dalian Haibo International Freight Co Ltd and Liaoning Danxing International Forwarding Co Ltd, both based in China.
The move prohibits US dealings with the designated companies and freezes any assets they have in the United States.
The US announcement came weeks after a second summit between Trump and Kim, in Hanoi, broke down late last month over conflicting demands by North Korea for relief from tough sanctions and from the US side for North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons.
